India: ABP News crew impeded at work for reporting on the notorious gangrape case

/
WhatsApp Image 2020-10-29 at 13.24.22.jpeg

October 6, 2020, Hathras, India -- ABP News crew reporting on the funeral of a young Dalit woman who was brutally gang-raped and murdered earlier this week were manhandled by police forces who tried to stop their recording. The relentless pursuit of ABP News' senior correspondent Pratima Mishra along with cameraperson Manoj Adhikari to unearth the mysterious silence and victim's 'forceful' cremation was met with violence by police in heavy numbers who approached the crew and asked them not to report on the incident.

After various attempts by Pratima and her colleague to know the reason behind why they were being stopped to enter the village, cops shamelessly and forcefully took Pratima and Manoj in a police van and dropped them outside the village.

All this incident was captured on air and even attempts to unplug the live wire of the camera were also made. This shocking behaviour of UP Police was criticised by many and soon #ABPKoMatRoko started trending on Twitter with citizens around the country applauding the team for their reporting.

Large scale protests have erupted last week to protest the brutal gang rape and murder of a Dalit woman by upper-caste men in Hathras. As the city was surrounded by police forces to prevent any press presence, evidence that a female reporter who interviewed the woman’s family was exposed earlier this week. 

Authorities claimed that the media was trying to manipulate the story and further victimize the family, however they did not respond to how and why the journalists were being impeded at work. 

As Indian citizens demand justice for the young Dalit woman, who died earlier this week, authorities are trying to silence the press by intimidation and breaching their right to privacy. Caste system in India causes impunity in such cases where the police officers do not remain unbiased. The Coalition For Women In Journalism expects proper response from the authorities and demands them to not further impede journalists at work.